While we were eating, we were debating: Chipotle v Qdoba. I have decided that anyone that likes Qdoba better only has one argument that makes sense: queso sauce. Any other Qdoba fans have anything else to say?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Number 25
We went out to see Blindside last weekend and found a great Chipotle in the Southlands mall area. Blindside was excellent by the way. Your thoughts? This was number 25 on our quest and I have bolded it over on the right. It is the thirteenth in Colorado. We are now 1/3 of the way through the list of Chipotle's in Colorado. I think there are 76 total including Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and there is even one in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
While we were eating, we were debating: Chipotle v Qdoba. I have decided that anyone that likes Qdoba better only has one argument that makes sense: queso sauce. Any other Qdoba fans have anything else to say?
While we were eating, we were debating: Chipotle v Qdoba. I have decided that anyone that likes Qdoba better only has one argument that makes sense: queso sauce. Any other Qdoba fans have anything else to say?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Its Official!
The journey is officially on! Rachael and I have decided to make it our mission to visit every Chipotle. We printed out our list of all the Denver Chipotle's and started checking them off. We also got ourselves a big wall map of the Denver and put pins up for all the ones we have visited (we will be purchasing a US wall map soon). We just picked up number 24 yesterday by chance. We were taking her car into the shop and we passed one...so naturally we went back for lunch.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Number 23
We were heading out to the movies last weekend and decided we should check to see where the nearest Chipotle was. It just so happened to be that it was literally 1 minutes away from the theatre. This Chipotle was number 23 for me in my quest to eat at them all. After checking this one off my list, I was checking out the Chipotle locations on their website and realized there are over 70 in the Denver area! I've got my work cut out for me, but I've got time on my side. Good news for me:: I just heard they may be opening their first London location (I've never been to Europe before!).
Food with Integrity
There is something about Chipotle that really sets it apart from almost all other restaurants. Food quality truly means something. Its more than just "good food". I could go into more detail about what I think, but I'll let the founder tell you more. This is an excerpt from the Chipotle website.
""Food With Integrity" isn't a marketing slogan. It's not a product line of natural and organic foods. And it's not a corporate initiative that will ever be finished or set aside to make room for other priorities. It's a philosophy that we can always do better in terms of the food we buy. And when we say better, we mean better in every sense of the word- better tasting, coming from better sources, better for the environment, better for the animals, and better for the farmers who raise the animals and grow the produce.
The hallmarks of Food With Integrity include things like unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal. And, since embracing this philosophy, it's had tremendous impact on how we run our restaurants and our business. It's led us to serve more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant in the country, to push for more sustainable practices in produce farming, and to work with dairy suppliers to eliminate the use of added hormones from their operations.
It's even influenced the way we view other aspects of our business, from the materials and systems we use to design and build our restaurants, to our staffing and training programs.
We like the food we serve today. And, because of our Food With Integrity philosophy, we're confident that we'll like it even more down the road. "
http://www.chipotle.com/#/flash/fwi_story
What's not to love?
""Food With Integrity" isn't a marketing slogan. It's not a product line of natural and organic foods. And it's not a corporate initiative that will ever be finished or set aside to make room for other priorities. It's a philosophy that we can always do better in terms of the food we buy. And when we say better, we mean better in every sense of the word- better tasting, coming from better sources, better for the environment, better for the animals, and better for the farmers who raise the animals and grow the produce.
The hallmarks of Food With Integrity include things like unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed, sustainable, nutritious, naturally raised, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal. And, since embracing this philosophy, it's had tremendous impact on how we run our restaurants and our business. It's led us to serve more naturally raised meat than any other restaurant in the country, to push for more sustainable practices in produce farming, and to work with dairy suppliers to eliminate the use of added hormones from their operations.
It's even influenced the way we view other aspects of our business, from the materials and systems we use to design and build our restaurants, to our staffing and training programs.
We like the food we serve today. And, because of our Food With Integrity philosophy, we're confident that we'll like it even more down the road. "
http://www.chipotle.com/#/flash/fwi_story
What's not to love?
Friday, November 13, 2009
A Great Year
In 2007, my family was going to Chipotle a lot. Towards the end of the year we started thinking about it and went to the banking records. We discovered something pretty unbelievable. We have 5 people in our family and we figured out that at least one of us was at Chipotle for 190 days out of the year! That's over half the year someone from our family at Chipotle! Needless to say, we cut back the following year, but not by much =).
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Here's a Great Article on Chipotle!
http://2010.newsweek.com/top-10/unknown-in-1999-indispensable-now/chipotle.html
By Dana Cowin
First, I love the fact that Chipotle sources all its food products from trusted farms and farmers, that the food is sustainable, and that, with 900 restaurants, the brand manages to bring really fresh food to a really wide public. All this gives me hope, because it’s just that important: clearly our food supply is not as protected as we would like to think. So, if we don’t want to get sick, we need to encourage the growth of sustainable farming. Chipotle does that at a really high volume, which means it’s an inspiration for everyone running a restaurant—whether we’re talking about high-end establishments or fast food. As American appreciation of luxocratic food—as in luxury, yet democratic—grows, Chipotle is leading the way: the lux part because they’re using very high-quality ingredients, but the democratic part is that we’re talking about tacos, here. Not to mention, anytime you can spend under 10 dollars and essentially sustain yourself for a day, it feels like a great value. Then there’s the consistency factor. They serve a limited menu; people don’t root around the menu, they fall in love with one thing (for me, it’s the burrito). The people who like these products actually love them, which means the number of repeat customers is very high. Chipotle ended up being popular without being trendy, which means that they didn’t invent the taco or anything, they’re just doing this product, that people like anyway, in an elevated way.
By Dana Cowin
First, I love the fact that Chipotle sources all its food products from trusted farms and farmers, that the food is sustainable, and that, with 900 restaurants, the brand manages to bring really fresh food to a really wide public. All this gives me hope, because it’s just that important: clearly our food supply is not as protected as we would like to think. So, if we don’t want to get sick, we need to encourage the growth of sustainable farming. Chipotle does that at a really high volume, which means it’s an inspiration for everyone running a restaurant—whether we’re talking about high-end establishments or fast food. As American appreciation of luxocratic food—as in luxury, yet democratic—grows, Chipotle is leading the way: the lux part because they’re using very high-quality ingredients, but the democratic part is that we’re talking about tacos, here. Not to mention, anytime you can spend under 10 dollars and essentially sustain yourself for a day, it feels like a great value. Then there’s the consistency factor. They serve a limited menu; people don’t root around the menu, they fall in love with one thing (for me, it’s the burrito). The people who like these products actually love them, which means the number of repeat customers is very high. Chipotle ended up being popular without being trendy, which means that they didn’t invent the taco or anything, they’re just doing this product, that people like anyway, in an elevated way.
For All of you Non-Chiptole Lovers
I challenge you to explain why and where there is a better substitute for Chipotle! Present your arguments in the comment box below and we shall see if you can convince me otherwise!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Chipotle Count!
How many Chipotle's has everyone been to? It took me a while to think of all the ones I've been to. Someday I hope to have visited every single one!
Usually When you Roll Something this Good, Its Illegal!
I've never seen a statement more true! Chipotle burritos are delicious! I probably eat one three times a week...on a bad week! I sneak them into movie theaters. I take them home and re-heat them. I sit down and eat one, then go back and get one to go! Keep rolling these out Chipotle, because you at least have one customer for life!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday Tradition!
A few years back my family started a tradition. This is not the typical tradition, but I sure look forward to it every week. Every Sunday after church we head downtown to visit the Chipotle. They know us so well there that we don't even have to place our orders. We have started to develop a relationship with the employees there and sometimes get our meal paid for! Does anyone else have any Chipotle traditions?
Chipotle Stories
When I was in college, my friends and I were dying to get some Chipotle. The problem was that the closest one was about 2.5 hours away! (This was before Chipotle started expanding pretty rapidly) Lucky for us, we found a concert to go to in the same area. We had not eaten Chipotle for quite some time being stuck at school so we decided it would be a good idea to do the "Two Burrito Challenge" right before the concert. I'll tell you what. I've never been so full in my life (and that includes Thanksgiving). We all went to the concert having completed our feat and from that point on it became something that we did more frequently. That was the origin for the "Two Burrito Challenge" for us.
However, the funniest challenge was right before a school dance when we decided to go for two again. Two of us managed to finish ours and then we promptly hit the dance floor! About half way through the night, a couple of us had to escort another buddy to the bathroom where he disposed of his two burritos "and felt much better". It was pretty amusing for those of us still holding ours in.
p.s. I have seen the youtube video of someone eating 4 burritos and running a sub 6 minute mile, but please post your comments with any fun, interesting or just Chipotle related stories!
However, the funniest challenge was right before a school dance when we decided to go for two again. Two of us managed to finish ours and then we promptly hit the dance floor! About half way through the night, a couple of us had to escort another buddy to the bathroom where he disposed of his two burritos "and felt much better". It was pretty amusing for those of us still holding ours in.
p.s. I have seen the youtube video of someone eating 4 burritos and running a sub 6 minute mile, but please post your comments with any fun, interesting or just Chipotle related stories!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Green
One of the great aspects of Chipotle is that they are working on becoming more and more environmentally friendly. They use recycled napkins, their food is organic and they are even working on building design. Two of their restaurants are registered with the United States Building Green Council. The Chipotle in Gurnee, IL is the first to receive the platinum rating in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. They are working on moving all their restaurants in this direction. You can read about it here. http://www.chipotle.com/#/flash/restaurants_green
Quality
So let's get right down to it. Why do I love Chipotle so much?? Its the food. The quality of the meat and cheese surpasses the competition. I have been to Qdoba on a number of occasions (not nearly as much as Chipotle) and I am just not convinced. I'll give them props for the Queso burrito, but that's about it. The cheese is really cold in contrast to the meat and it makes for a lame burrito. Also, the taste for me is just not up to par.
I just recently discovered a place called Illegal Pete's. For those of you who have not heard of it...well...its the exact same set up as Chipotle. I thought it was a big step up from Qdoba, but not quite Chipotle quality. The chicken was good and I really liked the atmosphere. They had some flat screen tvs and some comfy booths, but again...the overall taste of the burrito was not up to my standards.
I feel that I have fairly tried out the competition and I have confirmed why I continue to go back (almost on a daily basis!) to Chipotle. With that being said, I will be devoting the rest of this blog to all the other reasons I love Chipotle so much.
I just recently discovered a place called Illegal Pete's. For those of you who have not heard of it...well...its the exact same set up as Chipotle. I thought it was a big step up from Qdoba, but not quite Chipotle quality. The chicken was good and I really liked the atmosphere. They had some flat screen tvs and some comfy booths, but again...the overall taste of the burrito was not up to my standards.
I feel that I have fairly tried out the competition and I have confirmed why I continue to go back (almost on a daily basis!) to Chipotle. With that being said, I will be devoting the rest of this blog to all the other reasons I love Chipotle so much.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Why Chipotle is Superior!
This blog is for all of you Chipotle fans out there. This is for those of you who are there 4 times a week or you went for lunch and you suggest to your friends that you meet there for dinner that same day. This is for everyone who thinks Qdoba is just a sorry attempt at what Chipotle does extremely well. This is for those of you who like everything about Chipotle...the simple advertising and simple menu, the quality of the meat and cheese, the cool little stories on the cups, the lime chips, the quality guacamole, the funky music they play, the art on the walls, the t-shirts and anything else that comes to mind. I hope you enjoy reading about what I love about Chipotle...and I bet its the same stuff YOU love about it too!
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